Michigan

The bubble shrinks, now the real fun begins

I don't think any U-M fans out there want the Wolverines to back into the NCAA Tournament, so Cleveland State beating Butler last night is only an issue if you operate under the theory that Michigan is going to lose to Iowa tomorrow. Hopefully, that theory is incorrect.

Still, the Vikings stormed into Hinkle Fieldhouse and stole a conference tournament title, meaning the Horizon league will send two teams to the Dance.

Both ESPN's and CBS' Bubble Watch has 23 "bubble teams" fighting for 10 at-large spots. Those numbers mean that anymore conference-tournament upsets are problematic. Play starts for the big boys today, so a quick peek at what's on tap this afternoon and evening, after the jump.

- DePaul vs. Providence, Noon: DePaul went 0-18 during the conference regular season, then beat Cincinnati in the Big East first round. Go figure. The Blue Demons can take Providence off the bubble with another upset. The good news is that a win today does absolutely nothing to help Providence claim an at-large spot.

- Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.: Some might argue that Oklahoma State is already in. Others might argue that Texas needs to be considered on the bubble as well. I'm not buying the second argument -- heck, I'm not sure about the first either. OSU (not that OSU) has a great computer profile, but a loss here would still be damaging.

- Notre Dame vs. West Virginia, 7 p.m.: The Irish are way off the bubble at the moment, but with an upset win today and another tomorrow over Pitt, they'd be right there again. Better to just get them out of the way now.